Trendwatch

Without a doubt, one of the hottest trends in emerging media right now is the expansion of social media. Most social media channels were originally created to enhance the way individuals interact with one another online, however companies big and small are learning the value behind being a part of this new communication landscape.

Since the early days of the Internet, marketers have been gradually shifting their approach from one-way communication as delivered through traditional advertising media, to a more engaging, two-way interaction with their customers through interactive media. This shift has been propelled forward in recent years with the growing popularity of social media. Companies keeping up with this trend are captivating their audiences through conversations and establishing trust through their transparency. In return, they are seeing increased brand awareness, increased sales, and customer loyalty.  Two social media platforms that are lending themselves well to a brand presence online are Twitter and Facebook.

Flocking to Twitterville
Twitter was born in a “daylong brainstorming” session and was initially used as a way for individuals to communicate in real-time with small groups, but has developed into much more. Founded in 2007, its user-base has skyrocketed to 27 million with almost 300 million website visits monthly (Quancast). It is no wonder that almost everyone, including businesses and brands, are trying to take leverage this channel to connect with people and build a network.

Twitter is not just for big brands or celebrities trying to make a statement. This platform allows even the smallest voice to be recognized in a big way. One great example of this is a small company based out of Los Angeles called Kogi BBQ. They have managed to take their business to the next level by creatively utilizing this trend-setting platform. Kogi BBQ is a mobile Korean BBQ taco truck who creates their buzz on Twitter by letting followers know where their next stop will be. The main ingredient to their updates is that they infuse personality and make a potentially mundane thing into something fun to experience. The presence they have on Twitter is only accentuated by the fact that in person, they are a fun loving crew who make a mean Korean BBQ taco. With Twitter, their voice is heard and because of their social media marketing approach they can expect 300-800 people at each stop they make. They currently have a Twitter following of over 47,000. In the end, the exposure they were able to gain from using Twitter is positively affecting their bottom line.

Brands Engage with “Fans” on Facebook
Whether you are a fan of Facebook or not, it is shaping the way over 300 million individuals communicate with their personal networks. It all began in 2004 with Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard college student, who wanted to create a way to stay in touch with classmates. It has organically developed into the largest social network in just 5 short years.

Facebook has definitely grown up fast. It is no longer a place just for friends but has evolved to include companies or brands that want to influence the marketplace. Businesses are quickly realizing that they must be where their customers are and with Facebook having the largest captive audience in the social media world, it is a great place to start.

Facebook recently designated “Fan” pages as a means for companies to engage with their customers in a number of ways, such as by sharing valuable information, creating contests, taking customer polls, creating buzz around promotional efforts, and updating their fans about important news.

A small company making a big splash using their Facebook Fan page is Sprinkles Cupcakes. Sprinkles is a boutique cupcake bakery based out of Los Angeles. Everyday, Sprinkles announces a secret word like “November” on their Facebook fan page for fans to whisper when they go into any of their five locations. The first 25-50 people who repeat that word receive a free cupcake. This strategy has boosted their engagement with customers online and in stores and has spread their message to over 75,000 Facebook fans.

Websites Become Social
A noticeable movement towards socializing websites is rising. With social networks reaching astronomical member bases, businesses are beginning to understand the advantages of allowing users the ability to share various items with their social media networks directly from their website. Most leading companies are already incorporating this into their websites by making it easy for users to broadcast various items (articles, newsletters, products, etc) to their social media network of choice. For example, if you visit CBS News homepage and scroll down, on the right hand side you will notice an area that says “Connect with CBS News.” Listed below, icons for the following tools are displayed: Facebook, RSS, Twitter, CBS, Email, and UStream. You will also notice after reading an article or watching a video on CBS News, the option to share on social networks is available. By adding these simple features, they are embracing the social media movement and allowing users to syndicate their message to the masses.

Smartphones Evolve
It is no secret that smartphones such as the iPhone have become all the rage in 2009. Smartphone sales have been completely unfazed by the struggling economy. 43.3 million smartphones were shipped last quarter, up 4.2% in comparison to last year, according to IDC. The functionality of smartphones is continuing to advance and with the onset of thousands of new applications, user experiences on mobile phones will continue to transform. For this reason, it will be increasingly important for businesses who have websites to optimize for mobile. Currently, most websites are not fully optimized, thus missing out on the significant traffic they could be realizing from mobile devices. It’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to seize the opportunities and purchasing powers of their mobile savvy audience by optimizing their website for mobile.

To Conclude…
Although changes in emerging media are frequent and can be overwhelming to keep up with, the key is to adapt quickly in order to take advantage of the benefits that these tools offer, especially in business. A thought provoking video that touches on these emerging trends is “Did You Know 4.0”. If you have enjoyed this article, please feel free to share it with your social network through one of the icons below.